Chlorine powder discarded into sewer by swimming school in Jurong East

SINGAPORE: A maintenance employee at a swimming school in Jurong East discarded chlorine powder into a sewer on Friday (Mar 5), "unknowingly" causing a chemical reaction, said the founder of the school.

The chemical reaction "ignited a flare" and caused an "alarming sound", Mr Tan Jian Yong, the founder of Happy Fish Swim School, said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

There were no students at the premises at the time of the incident, he said.

No injuries were reported, and the maintenance keeper was taken to the hospital for a check-up, he added.

"We are working closely with authorities as we recognise our responsibility here — to safeguard further precautionary steps to ensure the safety of our staff, students and the members of public," said Mr Tan. 

WHAT HAPPENED?

Mr Tan said the incident happened at about 8.30pm at one of the school's branches in Jurong East.

Mr Tan said the school had hired a waste management company after noticing a strong smell from the chlorine drum, which had come in contact with moist air.

"Our maintenance keeper genuinely has mistaken the intention and took the initiative to discard the chlorine powder into the sewage without knowing that it will cause issues," said Mr Tan. 

"Chlorine is very reactive to germs, bacteria and other chemical compound(s) which can be found in general sewers, as a result inevitably caused a chemical reaction," he said.

"A loud sound alarmed neighbouring residents. We apologise for that."

Mr Tan said the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted immediately after the incident.

NO IMPACT TO SEWERAGE SYSTEM: PUB

In response to CNA's queries, PUB said on Monday that it was alerted by SCDF to the incident on Friday night. 

"There was no impact to the sewerage system or quality of used water – which is conveyed to PUB's water reclamation plants for treatment – following the incident."

PUB added that it is investigating the incident. 

CNA has reached out to SCDF for more information.

SCHOOL OPERATIONS UNAFFECTED

According to its website, the swimming school has five branches in Singapore.

Mr Tan said that its pool system and premises were unaffected by the incident, and classes will run as per normal.

Mr Tan also urged anyone who was affected by the incident to notify the school immediately. 

Meanwhile, the school has instructed the waste management company to remove the chlorine drum on Monday. No damage has been reported to the sewage system and further investigation is pending, said Mr Tan.